Swine Flu Prevention

The best way to prevent infection from Swine Flu is to avoid close contact with people who appear unwell and who have fever and a cough.

Good hygiene and standard infection control practices can help to reduce the transmission of all viruses, including swine flu. These include covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, using a tissue when possible and disposing of it promptly. It is also important to wash your hands frequently with soap and water in order to reduce the spread of the virus from your hands to your face or to other people, and to clean hard surfaces such as door handles frequently using a normal cleaning product.

If caring for someone with a flu-like illness, a mask can be worn to cover the nose and mouth to reduce the risk of transmission. Health organizations are looking at increasing its stockpile of masks for healthcare workers for this reason.

There is no evidence that swine flu can be transmitted through eating meat from infected animals, however, it is of course essential to cook meat properly. A temperature of 70C (158F) would be enough to kill the Swine Flu virus.